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10 New Career Resources Catering to Students

None of us, especially parents, want to see college kids returning from school with a degree but nowhere to put it to use. Of course, the economy determines much of what happens to the labor market, but that doesn’t mean politicians, educators, and businesspeople have to sit idly by while students emerge from school clueless about the working world. To ensure college, high school, and even middle school kids are armed with everything they need to thrive in the workplace, these 10 new career resources are doing their part to teach the children well.

The ability to job hunt online is a terrific innovation for job seekers, but the sheer number of postings can be too much of a good thing. Gradspring’s president Sean Clem says his new venture aims for quality, not quantity, by hand-picking good jobs for recent graduates and filtering out the dross. That means all its listings require zero to two years’ experience and a college degree, offer a fair wage, and are vetted to make sure they’re not scams. And since many university career centers “have their heads in the sand,” Clem’s site offers its paid members resume help and other informational advice on landing the job.

Since launching in April 2012, this MOOC (massive open online course) provider has been taking the education world by storm, bringing in over 2 million students and partnering with over 30 highly respected schools. Now the company has created a way to connect its students with employers looking for worthy job candidates (and open up a new revenue stream for itself at the same time). The Career Services are a free, opt-in feature that permits businesses to see the grades of top-performing students in specific disciplines in a certain geographical area and contact those students via email through Coursera. Coursera’s university partners will also have the choice whether to opt in or not.

Say what you will about Texas (there are plenty of easy targets), but the Lone Star State has one of the best economies and lowest unemployment rates in the country. The Texas Education Agency would like to keep it that way and thus has created Texas College & Career. The web portal is free to Texas high school students, parents, and educators, offering youngsters channels for finding their career interests, 4,500 college profiles, resume and interview advice, and more. Teachers can take advantage of tools that help them monitor students’ progress so that they succeed in school and beyond.

The Pathways Program is actually a three-for-one deal created in 2010 by the federal government to help Americans get to work. The Recent Graduates Program kicked off on July 10, 2012 with its career opportunities with federal agencies for students who earned their degrees up to two years prior (or veterans up to six years prior). A week later, the first listing of the Pathways Student Internship program for current high school, vocational, college, and grad students also went live with an opening in the Department of the Interior. And the 35-year-old Presidential Management Fellows Program was expanded to welcome people who earned an advanced degree in the last two years.

BigFuture hit the Interwebs in March 2012, the result of collaboration between CollegeBoard (of SAT fame) and non-profit admissions organization The Education Conservancy. Geared toward helping students find colleges and information on getting into and paying for them, the site also features an “Explore Careers” tab. Here visitors are asked, “What are you into?” to nudge them toward majors that align with their interests. If they want to see new career ideas, they can view a slideshow for inspiration. For some sage advice from others who have been in their shoes, they can watch videos of former students giving their insights on choosing a career path.

Established education player Pearson also jumped into the career resource arena in March by teaming with the Imagine America Foundation to create the Student Success Zone. While a good chunk of the free material offered focuses on study skills, time management, and generally succeeding in college, the site does not neglect its “career readiness” mandate. Under the “Professionalism” tab, the site’s contributors will be posting tips on how to talk the talk and walk the walk in a business environment. And no doubt the sections on “Life Balance” and “Finance” will be full of helpful info students can put into practice after they enter the real world.

The Golden State revamped this free online tool in August 2011 to revitalize the way it helps in-state students take the first steps down successful career paths. E-visitors to the CareerZone can find stats on the state labor market, take self-assessment surveys of their interests and goals, and watch 300 “occupational videos.” In April 2012, the site had another update, adding the functionality to filter careers by education requirements and salary, compare up to four occupations at once, give and read feedback on occupations and schools, and more.

Founded just two years ago, Collegial Services is still a fledgling enterprise but one that already boasts a stack of satisfied customers. The team of advisors helps students and new grads get “from here to there” — “here” being unemployed with big career hopes and dreams, and “there” being off and running in a career. The company offers small group resume-building workshops, one-on-one LinkedIn tutorial sessions, a “100% Readiness Program” for workforce prep, and more, at costs of $30 up to $100-plus. As to why students (or parents) would want to hire a Collegial Services advisor, the company prides itself on the personalized service and experienced staff that are typically not available in career centers.

Arguably the only MOOC to make as many headlines as Coursera is Udacity. The company is fast-approaching the one-million-student mark and is moving into some brave new territories of late. It has also recently begun to promote its Career Team, which is brags has grown from just 12 employers to more than 400 companies. Employers interested in certain students are invited to email the team, while students are encouraged to display projects they’ve completed thanks to Udacity on the Udacity Showcase. So far, the types of jobs students have landed are primarily in the software and tech fields, but as more classes are added the employment opportunities should similarly expand.

Apparently California has decided its students are its best hope for clawing its way out of bankruptcy, because it really does a lot to help them transition to gainful employment. The California Career Center, launched in May 2012, helps kids “map their future,” whether that means college, the military, or an apprenticeship. The “Getting a Job” tab points to articles on internships, resumes, and cover letters, plus some more obscure topics like job shadowing, work permits, and illegal interview questions. The “Career Options” tab is where students are invited to create their Career Action Plan based on what they’re able to do and what they’re interested in.